Last year, I set what seemed like a simple resolution. I would do one thing for my own self-care everyday. While I did a great job posting my self-care up until mid-March, for the most part, I was able to stick with it. Some days were less active forms of self-care, and others missed the mark entirely. However, I am proud of myself for taking the time to focus on my personal growth and emotional stability. I still have a long ways to go, especially with being a people pleaser and focusing more on how others view me than my own internal moral compass.
This year, I am continuing last year's resolution and adding on. This year, self-care will be a more active self-care. I will continue going to pure barre regularly because I love the physical activity and knowing that my body is stronger because of it. I am also going to do a 6-week course in "Healing through Mindful Movement" which is a 6-week yoga counseling workshop on how "mindful movement can help your body heal your mind". I enjoy yoga and am always looking for novel ways to help keep me physically, emotionally, and psychologically balanced. Along that same vein, I need to start doing mindful meditations again with the Calm app. Finally, my goal is to focus on some of my hobbies: sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, writing. I want to have time to do each of these in order to find ways to expand the more creative side of my brain. I find it helps me think better on my feet.
One of the additions is now continued development of my career. I have several lectures I am giving this year that need to be developed. I am applying for a curriculum development scholarship. I need to build prompts for the narrative medicine curriculum for next year. It's amazing how little time there is in a day for all these things. Some will carry over into time at home. However, I strive to keep the first resolution above at the forefront outside of the hospital.
Even higher than the previous resolutions falls the one to find ways to focus on continuing to improve my relationship with my husband. Sometimes, this focus can be simple. Through the Gottman Institute, we have twice weekly marriage minutes to discuss, we have stress-relieving conversations we can have over dinner, we have card decks that we can work through to deepen our understanding of each other. I want to be more intentional in the energy that I put into the relationship. My sweet husband has done such a wonderful job of keeping us both buoyed. I could not imagine having a better life partner. I want to make sure I devote ample time to showing him my love. An added bonus is the fact that it will only improve our relationship.
Finally, one of the words that I want to meditate on a little more this year is 'expectations'. Expectations I set for myself, what I expect of others, work expectations, patient expectations, and so on. I want to be more thoughtful about which expectations and which are harmful.
I am excited for 2019. Let's see what the year holds.
